Nikon 600mm F/4 Features

Vibration Reduction (VR II) minimizes the effects of camera shake allowing photographers to shoot at as many as four shutter speeds slower than would otherwise be possible, assuring dramatically sharper images

New Tripod Detection mode reduces vibration that may occur due to shutter release when mounted on a tripod

I love this lens. I only wish it was a bit lighter in weight as I have to use a tripod with it.

Reviewed by 20 customers

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

5.0

Grand Lens!

By Warren

from Anchorage, Alaska
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Pro Photographer

I use this lens shooting wildlife. Heavy and sturdy, the lens can take a fair beating without getting bollixed up. With a D4s or D800 on the end it performs flawlessly, fast focusing and sharp. Balances nicely witha heavy body attached. I have hand held when absolulety required to. I try not to use teles and when necessary go to crop mode for added reach. It performs flawlessly.

After 2 months+ use I can say that this piece of glass is everything it should be. Sharp and well built, it is a heavy weight. But, just to prove that I could, I have shot it hand-held on a D4s. VR works! I've used the lens at near and below zero F temps without problem.

Great lens for wildlife, but is does take some getting use to. I spent time in the back yard and forest preserve just getting the hang of it and it did really pay off. Simple issues such as going to manual focus, framing shots and even how your mounting equipment behaves changes when jumping to this monster lens. I even took to upgrading my tripod and mounting head because there will be some drift with lesser products. All that being said, its sharp and brings one so much closer to the subject, as expected when going from a 200mm even with a 2.0x teleconverter. Its heavy to carry around, and I would recommend getting a soft hood that packs so much easier into a back pack when traveling and hiking out in the wilderness. Bottom line, take the jump, practice and surround the lens with crew of quality supporting equipment and you'll be happy you did.

I have spent quite a few years as a passionate nature photographer and I can say that this is the best investment I have ever made towards my nature photography. This lens is one awesome piece of engineering. The optical quality of the lens is as good as it gets, bird feathers and details are razor sharp, so much in fact with the copy I own the that my images have taken on a new dimension of clarity, even when comparing to my 300mm f/2.8 lens, which is well known for it's incredible sharpness. The out of focus "bokeh" is rich, butter smooth and creamy and really isolates your subjects with spectacular "painted" backgrounds. It is also amazing with a 1.4x teleconverter and will still retain good results with a 2.0x teleconverter as a 1200mm f8 lens with manual focus and very good technique. I use this lens with my Nikon D700 and the AF system is very accurate, even in low light situations. This lens needs solid support and good technique to master. It is far from easy to carry around. Lugging this beast around will give you a good workout.

The first images obtained with this lens, mounted on a Gimbal head and a massive tripod, were just marginally better than the ones that I usually get with the Nikon 80-400mm, which made me nervous at such a price point. I tried everything possible (higher shutter speeds, every VR mode, a RF remote control, mirror up, Lv mode) without significant improvement. After many tests, I ended up discovering that the lens is short sighted. It becomes outstanding at medium and short distances, where it is mostly used, but is soft near or at infinity, even in direct sunshine. This problem has been reported on other prime lenses, in particular the 200-400mm. Otherwise, AF is instantaneous (so fast that I wonder why someone would like to memorize a distance), and the bokeh is impressive. Overall, I am very satisfied with the lens, as I do not expect to use it at infinity.

I have tried an after market brand lens in this class of lens and it it was just soft plain and simple, but I mounted this to my Really Right Stuff Full Gimbal head and tripod and instant success with sharp vivid focus thanks to the VR and fast Auto Focus this lens has teamed up with my D3x, I can't wait to try this out on the wild life this upcoming spring. Don't let the weight fool you, this is not a lens that can be carried all day by the average hobbyist, take care in planning your shooting trips with this lens and how you will pack it in and out of your shooting location and take care in selecting tripods and heads to mount this lens it will save you hours of grief in trashing photos because of unwanted shake usually caused by the shooter, but at faster shutter speeds above 1/125th it is a dream to use, not saying you cant shoot at slower shutter speeds, but a good support system and cable release will yield better results. But if you want to reach out and take in the wildlife at a safer distant and not put the critters under strain so they will allow you to stay within there presence much longer then this is the lens to buy.